HR 1852 IH

To amend title 28, United States Code, to allow a judge to whom a case is transferred to retain jurisdiction over certain multidistrict litigation cases for trial.

May 18, 1999

Mr. SENSENBRENNER (for himself, Mr. COBLE, and Mr. BERMAN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

To amend title 28, United States Code, to allow a judge to whom a case is transferred to retain jurisdiction over certain multidistrict litigation cases for trial.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Multidistrict Trial Jurisdiction Act of 1999'.

SEC. 2. MULTIDISTRICT LITIGATION.

Section 1407 of title 28, United States Code, is amended--

(1) in the third sentence of subsection (a), by inserting `or ordered transferred to the transferee or other district under subsection (i)' after `terminated'; and

(2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:

`(i) Any action transferred under this section by the panel may be transferred for trial purposes, by the judge or judges of the transferee district to whom the action was assigned, to the transferee or other district in the interest of justice and for the convenience of the parties and witnesses.'.

SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

The amendments made by this Act shall apply to any civil action pending on or brought on or after the date of the enactment of this Act.

END